The Australian managed to recover and take third place, but Vettel was out on the spot. The incident led to divided opinions even within the Red Bull camp, but most observers felt that Vettel shouldered the majority of the blame. Tensions are running high right now, and the team is well aware that it cannot afford to squander any more points, as McLaren appears to have closed the gap.

From the start of the race Webber led from Hamilton, Vettel and Button, but at the stops Vettel managed to get ahead of Hamilton to claim second. Hamilton didn't give up however, and the top three continued to run close together, with Button not far behind in fourth and ready to take advantage of any drama ahead.

And that's exactly what happened on lap 40 when Webber appeared to lose a little momentum and Vettel drew alongside him on the straight. As they approached the next corner neither man gave way, as Vettel edged ahead they touched and spun off. Suspension damage meant that Vettel could not continue.

The McLarens shot past and a few laps later had their own battle, Button getting briefly ahead after they ran side-by-side for a few corners before Hamilton got him back. After that both drivers ran safely to the end, mindful of the need to save fuel.

Webber pitted for a new nose but still took an easy third place, although he was not a happy man afterwards. It later became apparent that he had to run a different engine map to save fuel compared to Vettel, who had better consumption as he had been running in the tow. That in effect gave the German a little edge and allowed him to make a run at Webber.

Mercedes led the chase, albeit at a distance. Michael Schumacher finished a solid fourth, ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg. Robert Kubica was sixth for Renault, ahead of Felipe Massa, after a poor afternoon for Ferrari.

Fernando Alonso managed to climb up to eighth from 12th at the start, finally forcing his way past Vitaly Petrov. The Russian picked up a puncture after they touched, and fell out of the top 10. The final points went to Adrian Sutil in ninth, and Kamui Kobayashi in 10th, the first score for the Sauber team this year.

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